PRESENTATION COLLEGE BROTHERS Cork captain Jack O’Sullivan has been called into the Ireland U19 squad for their two-game tour of France.
Kieran Campbell’s U19 side enjoyed a 50-31 win over Japan in Donnybrook two weekends ago and will now travel to Bordeaux to play the French twice, on 11 and 16 April.
Impressive number eight O’Sullivan, who led PBC to the Munster Schools Senior Cup this season, missed out on the Japan fixture but has now been included in Ireland’s 26-man squad.
The entire matchday 23 from the victory over Japan is named for Ireland’s trip to France, with O’Sullivan, Trinity fullback/wing Michael Silvestre and Bristol centre James Newey – a product of the Exiles system who played for Ireland at U18 level – joining them.
Campbell’s men ran in eight tries against Japan, with St. Andrew’s College wing Peter Sullivan scoring a hat-trick and impressive RBAI centre James Hume bagging a brace, while Ballynahinch’s Aaron Hall, Mark Keane of Instonians RFC, and Marist College man Corey Reid also dotting down.
Leinster Schools Senior Cup winner Hugh O’Sullivan converted four of the tries, while new Irish cap Angus Curtis – who previously played for the Sharks U18s in South Africa – added a further conversion.
Campbell and his coaching team, which includes Leinster’s Hugh Hogan, will be hoping for more of the same against the French.
Ireland U19 squad for France tour:
Diarmuid Barron (Garryowen RFC)
Alexander Clarke (Ballymena Academy)
Jack Cooke (London Irish RFC)
Angus Curtis (Queen’s University RFC)
Matt Dalton (Belfast Royal Academy)
Jordan Duggan (Naas RFC)
Jack Dunne (St. Michael’s College)
James French (Bandon Grammar School)
Aaron Hall (Ballynahinch RFC)
James Hume (RBAI)
Mark Keane (Instonian’s RFC)
Max Kearney (Belvedere College)
James Kenny (Gonzaga College)
Michael Lowry (RBAI)
Sean Masterson (Corinthians RFC)
David McCarthy (Garryowen FC)
John McCusker (Rainey RFC)
James Newey (Bristol RFC)
Bryan O’Connor (Presentation Brothers Cork)
Jack O’Sullivan (Presentation Brothers Cork)
Hugh O’Sullivan (Belvedere College)
Tom O’Toole (Campbell College)
Corey Reid (Marist College)
Michael Silvester (Dublin University FC)
Peter Sullivan (St. Andrew’s College)
Conor Wharton (Leeds Beckett University)
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Great to see a good spread of clubs and schools represented rather then just the big Munster and Leinster SCT schools. Delighted to see names like Marist College, Naas and Brandon Grammer (who’ve come on leaps and bounds since I played against them at school).
@James: Well it is a U19 squad, so just because they don’t have a school next to their name does not mean they didn’t come through the school system.
The first name on the list is Diarmuid Barron & he is listed as Garryowen – but he went to Rockwell. Jordan Duggan, the guy listed as Naas RFC, went to Newbridge College. They were the only two names I looked into, but I would imagine that many of the other “non-school” players did in fact play schoolboy rugby.
I agree with you about Bandon Grammar though – I went to one of the “big” schools in Cork and our C team used to play them.
@Talleyrand Frye: ah yeah fair point. Even so, good to see it’s not just Con, Clontarf etc represented!
Delighted for Bandon though. Sweetnams rise at Munster can only be positive too
No Rhys O’Donnell from RBAI? I’ve heard a lot of good things.